


Even the Herald can get sick

by Elliekat



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Illnesses, Kissing, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 09:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6848533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elliekat/pseuds/Elliekat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exactly what it looks like, just a pure sweet sick fic with cuddles at the end :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even the Herald can get sick

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hamstr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamstr/gifts).



> Another one I wrote a while ago featuring hamstr's Edric Cadash, visit their tumblr to talk about dwarves :)

Cadash opened his eyes, only to recoil as light flooded in and his head suddenly throbbed. It felt so heavy as he lifted it off the pillow. He wished he could rest more, but the inquisitor couldn't afford any days off. He sighed, wishing Cassandra could at least be there to comfort him. She was away on a mission, while he had to stay in Skyhold to plan the next steps they would take with some of the Orlesian nobles. Surely not something that would help his headache, but he had no choice. He reluctantly opened his eyes again and eased himself out of bed, pushing through the pain until it receded to a dull ache. 

He began to suspect an illness while doing paperwork that morning. Suddenly his skin had begun to feel hypersensitive, like his clothes were scratching him every time he moved. His movements had slowed and he wanted nothing more than to lay in his bed again. But Josephine would come after him if he didn't finish this today, he thought. He tried to ignore his discomfort while he continued to work. There would be time to recover later. 

"We can't leave her at risk like that," Cullen was saying. "Who knows when she might get an opportunity to leave on her own? Every day where she has to put it off because someone happens to see her at the wrong time is another day where we could be exposed." Josephine nodded in agreement, her arms crossed neatly. 

Leliana leaned forward, letting her hood fall over her eyes. "We can't give them any additional reasons to suspect our involvement. If she doesn't connect herself with anyone, they won't be able to figure it out. I am sure the inquisitor will see it this way." She looked up at Cadash. "What do you think?"

Cadash was, to be honest, struggling. Despite having a reasonable lunch, he had begun to feel lightheaded partway through their meeting. Any other time he would have excused himself, but the life of one of his people was at stake. Making a decision as soon as possible was the most important thing at the moment. Even so, he was using every ounce of focus in his body to process what his advisors were saying. There were times when he admired Cullen's determination, but the loud voice he used to make his point was not kind to the dwarf's head right now. 

"I... suppose we shouldn't bring any undue risk to any of our other men," he said. The voice that came out of him was pained and scratchy, and his throat burned with each word. Cadash looked up to see his three advisors all with concerned expressions on their faces. He needed to end it quickly so he could get out of there. "Leliana, please..." he waved at her weakly as his throat constricted again. "Please take care of it. Excuse me if you will, I need a cup of water..." He pushed his way out the door. Hopefully some cold water from the kitchens would be able to sustain him through the rest of the day. 

Not only did he have to talk to nobles during this dinner, his appetite had completely abandoned him. He managed to keep a false smile on his face as he nodded along with what the noble was chattering about, but in his mind he was thinking only of how terrible he felt and how much he wished Cassandra could be there to give him at least a small amount of comfort. Even if it was just by glaring at all the nobles so they wouldn't talk to him as much. His dress uniform was weighing heavily on his sensitive body and there were many logs burning cheerfully in the fireplace, yet he felt cold and clammy all over. The roasted meat and vegetables in front of him looked amazing, but the thought of eating them made his stomach turn. At least he could get to bed soon without any consequences, if the nobles didn't bore him to death first.

Cadash's nose and eyes were both running by the time he staggered into his bedroom that night. Never had his bed been such a welcoming sight. His whole body ached and he had been begging for a respite. With slow movements, he curled up under all his blankets to alleviate the chills running through his muscles. No sooner did he close his eyes than he was blissfully asleep.

\--

Cassandra had been looking forward to returning to Skyhold. Of course she had her necessary duties, but it was nice to sleep out of the elements and with her poetry books. Not to mention Cadash, she thought with a small smile on her face. 

But when the party came to the gates, she didn't see Cadash's face in the crowd. It's possible he was just busy with work, or in a meeting, but he usually made a point of being there to greet her. Surely Josephine would know where he was, though. 

In fact, Josephine came up to her in just that moment. "Lady Pentaghast, welcome back! It is always good to see you," she said. 

Cassandra smiled and nodded back at her. "Is the inquisitor around? He doesn't seem to have come out here."

Josephine smiled knowingly at her. "I am sure he will be happy to see you again! Unfortunately, I have not seen him yet today. He must be busy in his room, because he did not come to breakfast either. Maybe you should bring him something, I am sure he will thank you for it," she said with just a hint of a giggle in her voice. Cassandra thanked her and made her way towards the kitchens of their base. Even if Cadash was too busy for breakfast, he would never be able to say no to a good meat pie. 

\--

Cadash woke up to the feeling of a hand on his face. The hand was so cold, but he couldn't think about why because his head felt completely stuffed with cotton. He shifted his body, and his bedclothes dragged against his sweaty skin uncomfortably. The hand had begun to run along his jaw, and he wished he could melt into its relieving coolness. His eye felt practically stuck closed, but he pulled it open to see who was there. His vision was a bit hazy, but the face in front of him was unmistakably Cassandra's. She smiled at him when she saw that he was awake. He smiled in return, and tried to say her name, but all that came out was a thin whisper. 

Cassandra put her finger to her lips. "Hello, Edric," she said fondly. Cadash's head was still throbbing, but he could hear the twinge of worry in her voice. Looking behind her, he could see the sun flooding into his room through the window. He was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. Not only had he slept the day away, but he wasn't even there when Cassandra had returned from her mission. He tried to sit up, but his vision spun wildly and he fell back onto his pillow. He felt Cassandra's strong arms wrap around him, and she slowly lifted him into a sitting position. He peeled his eyes open again to see her gathering his pillows and arranging them behind his back for him to lean on. He slowly lifted his arm and tried to beckon her back to him when she was done, but she only smiled and shook her head. 

"First, you need to eat this," she said. Reaching below the bed, she brought out a beautiful, golden meat pie. Suddenly Cadash was conscious of the fact that he hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunch. He was so grateful, but his fingers were too weak to grip the fork she handed him. She took it back and began to cut the pie up herself, and brought a piece of it to his lips. He felt a blush creeping over his face at being so helpless, but the savory smell of the pie was too tempting and he opened his dry lips to accept the bite. 

After he had eaten a third of the pie, he shook his head to let her know he was done. He felt another wave of tiredness suddenly come over him and he struggled to keep his eyes open. When Cassandra had set the rest of the pie on his table, he reached out to grab her hand and pull her weakly to the bed. She got onto the bed to sit down next to him, and he used what little strength he had to roll over so that he landed with his head in her lap. 

For a while they stayed together, him pressing small kisses to her strong thigh while she stroked his hair and the burning skin of his face with her cool fingers. Eventually she shifted underneath him and used her muscular arms to lift his limp body back onto his pillow. Her face was so close but Cadash knew he couldn't kiss her in this state, so he looked deeply into her eyes. "Please don't go," he whispered. 

Cassandra looked at her lover with sympathy. "I have to report the results of our mission, it cannot wait any longer. But I promise I will be here when you wake again," she said, pressing her hand one more time to his forehead. She pulled the blankets over him, and leaned down to press a kiss where her hand had been. With the feeling of her soft lips lingering on his skin, Cadash let himself drift peacefully into sleep once more. 

\--

When Cadash woke up again, Cassandra was by his side again. He smiled at her, and she immediately leaned over to drape a damp hand towel across his forehead. A moan of relief escaped him as the cool water soothed his burning skin. He reached out from under the covers to clasp Cassandra's hand, squeezing it softly. 

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you returned," he rasped. The speaking hurt his throat but he couldn't wait any longer to talk to her. Cassandra turned her hand to lace their fingers together. Even though she was so much taller than him, and her sheer strength and powerful demeanor made her seem even larger in his mind's eye, her fingers were still slender and delicate in between his. 

"It doesn't matter," she told him. "We are together now. You should stop worrying about those things and work on getting better soon." He closed his eyes again and murmured an acknowledgment. 

"Edric," she called out gently. He slowly opened his eyes to gaze at her affectionate face. He would never tire of hearing her say his name like that. She had produced a steaming cup of tea from somewhere, and was now guiding it to his lips. He took a small sip, and tasted herbs and honey that soothed his throat. Some of his strength had returned and he held the warm cup in his hands, but Cassandra still guided him to make sure he wouldn't spill anything in his awkward position lying on the bed. 

After urging him to finish the entire thing, Cassandra took the cup and the now-warm towel and placed them on Cadash's bedside table. She helped him get more comfortable against his pillows, and his skin tingled at the feeling of her hands moving and situating his body. Climbing on the bed herself, she sat once again at his side and slid a hand into his hair. He immediately snuggled into her side, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his face into her shoulder. 

"The healers told me that tea would have you feeling better within a day," she told him. He smiled into her the fabric of her shirt gratefully. He desperately wanted to kiss her lips passionately right now but he couldn't risk passing on his illness, so he just closed his eyes and relished the feeling of her fingers running through his hair. 

"Having you here again makes me feel much better already," he said as he leaned upwards to gently mouth at her neck. "I missed you," he mumbled into her skin. She began to rub his back gently. He gave her warm body a squeeze, thankful she was there and safe even if he wasn't at his best. He knew she could hold her own against every monster in Thedas, but he still longed to be by her side when they were separated. 

That afternoon, it seemed like nearly everyone in Skyhold came to see how he was doing. Josephine brought him some of her own personal tea, which he accepted thankfully, and a summary of their meeting that day with the nobles for him to read, which he told her to leave on his desk and rolled his eyes at when she left. Varric brought him a small apple pie, that Cassandra practically had to tear out of Cadash's hands to keep him from eating in one bite. Sera jumped on his bed and told him one of her newest dirty jokes that had him giggling and flushed brightly. 

Cassandra had gone off to finish her work for the day during all this to give him some space, but she returned in the evening while he was looking over the documents of what he missed. He looked up quickly when he heard her footsteps on the stairs, grateful for a respite. Setting the papers on his bedside table, he reached out and attempted to tug her onto the bed as soon as she came close enough. 

"You look much better now," she remarked, pulling out of his grasp just long enough to change into her night clothes. For all the fuss she had made about not moving out of her paltry "bedroom", she now had enough clothes in his drawers to be able to spend several nights in a row in his bed without having to return there. He watched her muscles tense as she changed clothing, indulging in the opportunity to shamelessly drag his eyes over her body. She smirked at him when she inevitably caught him gazing at her bare calves, his mouth open involuntarily. He smiled at her in return, knowing that she was already aware of how he felt about her. 

After a while, the two of them were pressed together and Cadash was feeling sleepy again. He still had avoided kissing her lips, but the feeling of illness has finally dissipated completely. When she had reached his side again he had eagerly buried his face in her neck, and he was reluctant to end his contact with her skin, even to go to sleep. His eyes were not so cooperative, and his long eyelashes fluttered against her neck as he softly sucked at one of her sensitive spots. 

Cassandra never missed anything, though. She gently pushed on his shoulders, and he lingered for a second before pulling away and resting his head next to hers on the pillow. He could hardly keep his eyes open, but he crinkled his eyebrows in what he hoped was a sufficient plea for more time together the next day. His heart jumped when she slid both hands down his back to grab firmly at his butt. There was no denying that he enjoyed her deliberately gentle treatment when he was sick, but he still wanted things to go back to normal as soon as possible. 

With a smile on his lips and his heart full of love for the woman at his side, Cadash let himself fall asleep at last.


End file.
